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Tight National Security Secrecy: Less of a Fix, More of a Problem

Home Tight National Security Secrecy: Less of a Fix, More of a Problem

2/23/22 Lecture for the University of Southern California

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine drags on, sharing our most sensitive intelligence about Putin’s war plans has helped solidify international support for Ukraine and wrested control of the war’s narrative from Russia. Washington’s unprecedented willingness to share such secrets, though, should not be seen as a one-off but rather as an essential tool that will be routinely needed to win future wars.

As I argue in the video lecture at the University of Southern California, the tight secrecy protocols that served us during the Cold War, today, are becoming less of a national security fix than a problem. If America is to win against military competitors, such as Russia and China, it will need to out-innovate and collaborate with private industries and overseas allies. This, in turn, will require sharing more, not fewer secrets and, yes, taking more, not fewer risks.

This lecture explains why and gives specific examples in the military space, defense acquisition, and intelligence areas.

US Management of Secrets: Jeopardizing Our National Security?

Classification Dysfunctions: Mountains of Classified Materials, Inability to Hire the Best Minds

Our Secrecy Rules Are Pegged to a 100-year Old Vision of War

How Our Secrecy Efforts Stumbled after the Cold War

Overclassification Fixes: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Model & Congressional Oversight

*“Un Secret D’en Haut” (“A Secret on High”) by Hippolytus Alexandre Julien Moulin (French 1832-84) depicting Mercury whispering a secret to the head of Pan knowing Pan will never repeat it.

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